Have you ever looked at the cover a Fitness magazine and seen a tag line like "Top 10 Tips to Improve Your Core!GÇ¥ or, while you're at the gym over heard a trainer telling their client that "we're going to do some work on your core today.GÇ¥-á It seems over the last 10 years or so, anywhere you look within the health and the fitness industry you're going to find something or someone talking about training your core.-á From Crossfit to Yoga and everything in between Core stability has become an en vogue term, even a catch phrase.-á But when you hear someone discussing "Core TrainingGÇ¥ or "Core StabilityGÇ¥ do you actually know what they're talking about?-á In today's editorial we'll be discussing what the "CoreGÇ¥ is made up of, and why having a strong core is important to your overall health and wellbeing. Let's start by identifying what the core is.-á I've found in my practice that when I discuss core stabilization with my patients, their first thought is that I'm talking about training their abbs.-á While the "abbsGÇ¥ or the abdominal muscles consisting of: the transverse abdominis (the deepest layer), the rectus abdominis (6 pack muscles), the internal oblique's and the external oblique's, are a component of the core but they don't make up the whole "coreGÇ¥.-á The core muscles that are discussed in the terms of core stability training are the muscle groups that surround the spine and help keep it in a neutral position. So along with the previously mentioned muscles, the core also consists of: the diaphragm, muscles of the pelvic floor, the multifidus, the lumbar erectors, and even the thoracic erectors.-á-á While these muscle groups have multiple functions, their main job is to keep your spine upright, supported and even protected.-á If you will envision the mast of a great ship with all the guy wires that support the mast.-á The mast being your spine and the guy wires representing all of those muscles I previously listed. So why should we consider strengthening these muscles?-á As a practicing clinician a large majority of the patients I see have back pain, and they don't necessarily have laborious occupations.-á In fact, most of the patients that come walking sideways into my office because of severe back pain actually have desk jobs.-á Well, how does that work?-á Someone who doesn't participate in rigorous or strenuous activity, and yet they manage to throw their back out just by picking up a piece of paper off the ground.-á Many professions these days are done at a desk, in front of a computer.-á When people sit at a desk, the muscles of their core become de-conditioned.-á As the core stability muscles become de-conditioned, the muscle fibers themselves actually get infused with fat, become atrophied, lose coordination, and essentially are unable to do their jobs effectively.-á So after months or even years of inactivity, poor posture, sitting at a desk, or even a job with repetitive motions, the muscles that are supposed to support the spine gradually become de-conditioned, weak, and uncoordinated, which creates a recipe for spinal injury. How does one person fix this issue?-á The best place to start is by consulting a health care practitioner like a Doctor of Chiropractic, a Physical Therapist, or even a fitness professional.-á We coach many of our patients on basic core stability exercises as we have found them to be very effective in accelerating our patient's recovery process.-á So I highly encourage you to get up, get out, and take charge of your health.-á Until-á next time.
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